Drink up, Everyone! Because today is: National Beer Day!
National Beer Day
National Beer Day or #NationalBeerDay on the Twitterverse, is celebrated in the United States every year on April 7. It recognizes the day that the Cullen–Harrison Act was enacted after having been signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 22, 1933. Upon signing the legislation, Roosevelt made his famous remark: “I think this would be a good time for a beer.” The law went into effect on April 7 of that year and allowed people to buy, sell, and drink, beer containing up to 3.2% alcohol by weight (or 4.05% by volume). People across the country responded by gathering outside breweries, and in some instances beginning the night before. On that first day, 1.5 million barrels of beer were consumed, thus inspiring the future holiday. Today, April 7th is recognized as National Beer Day and some say that April 6th is known as New Beer’s Eve.
It is important to note that the Cullen-Harrison Act was not the official end of prohibition in the US (that happened on December 5, 1933, when the 21st Amendment was ratified). What the Cullen-Harrison Act did do was redefine an “intoxicating beverage” under the Volstead Act. As such, April 7 is a beer specific holiday and should not be confused with Repeal Day celebrated on December 5.
National Beer Day was first created in 2009 by Justin Smith of Richmond, VA. Smith started a Facebook page that was noticed by Colorado Beer Examiner, Eli Shayotovich. Smith’s promoting of the new holiday via various social media outlets was rewarded when the beer drinking app, “Untappd”, created a badge for National Beer Day that rewarded participants that checked a beer into the app on April 7. National Beer Day has since been trending every year on April 7 using the hashtag #NationalBeerDay.
It should be noted that: National Beer Day was officially recognized by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe in 2017
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